The Harrowing
by DeadlyRedAlice
Summary: What happens after the Reckoning. Tori finds out that Kit is her father and runs away. Chloe decides to go after, running into a few familiar and some not-so-familiar faces, on the way. I suck at summaries, I believe this is a lot better than it sounds.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so I know a lot of people have written stories for after the Reckoning, and trust me, I'm sure mine will suck, but here it is anyways. Don't like it? Don't read it. :) Sorry, I'm really hyper so I'm not exactly thinking before typing. . . Then again, when am I not hyper? Don't answer that. I'm trying to keep to the characters personalities as much as possible. I am literally flipping through the books while writing this. If you think I'm straying a little far from the proper them (you know what I mean), don't hesitate to say so. I'll try to write as much as possible, though no promises. I **do not** own anything, no duh. Did I mention I'm hyper? I don't really know why though. After all, I'm eating yogurt. I don't think that makes you hyper. Maybe it was the green tea I had earlier. I think it had caffeine. I'm sure none of you care about what is making me hyper so on with the show. . . or story. . . or whatever. You know what I'm talking about! Rate. Review. Comment. Criticize. Suggest. Blah, blah, blah. Thank you,

DeadlyRedAlice

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I stared down at the stupid piece of paper in my hands, hoping that I'd wake up soon, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I had already woke up, and not to anything pleasant. _Why didn't I realize this before it was too late? _I chided myself, even with knowing it wasn't my fault._ Derek! _He'll know what to do. I began to get off the temporary bed, but stopped, remembering where I was for the first time since I awoke. I glanced around the motel room. It wasn't anything extravagant. The walls were a creme color that almost matched the carpet. A window was off to the left, brown curtains hanging down loosely in front of it. A full body easel mirror stood next to the door leading to the adjoining bathroom. The room, other than that, was fairly bare, except for a painting over each bed. There were two beds, both fulls, again nothing special. The sheets were white (ish) and the blankets were a light tan brown, with fuzzies coming off if rubbed too hard or too much. The pillows were not exactly hard, more like firm, but still nothing too comfy. The covers were mud brown and tan in a swirly, loopy design that's only used in hotels. I took the bed on the left, and Tori had taken the bed on the right. _Tori . . ._

I slapped myself. Stupid thing to do. "Ow," I muttered, rubbing my forehead where I had hit myself. "Aren't you a genius?" I whispered, angry, though not exactly at myself, but at everything that had happened. I glanced down at the bed where Tori had once slept. I'd awaken around midnight, though I don't exactly know why. I hadn't heard anything loud or noticeable enough to get me out of my dreamless sleep, ghosts or humans, or anything, which was nice and yet I had woke up anyways, so it didn't really matter. It was just as if an internal alarm had went off. The weird thing though was that once I was awake, I heard nothing. Usually I could hear the steady breathing of Tori only a couple of feet away from me. I turned over toward the other bed and propped myself up on my elbow, expecting to see her black hair spread out on the pillow, her tall body leaving a slim but recognizable bump in the covers. I squinted, trying to let my eyes adjust to the darkness, and I noticed the next weird thing. Tori wasn't in her bed. In fact, it was made, as if she had never crawled into it, which I knew wasn't true, because I had been there when she'd gone to sleep. I jumped up, throwing the covers aside, barely landing on my feet. I stumbled a bit, but still managed to hurry to the made bed. All that was there was an unlined piece of paper, folded in half. On the top, written in Tori's handwriting was my name. _Chloe_.

"Why?" I mumbled, reading the letter once again. I looked at the motel's alarm clock. It flashed _2:19 a.m._ in the dull yellow-ish light that seemed to have been blinking at guests for ages. Over two hours. That's how long I had been sitting on Tori's bed. By now she could have been anywhere. I glared at the note. Little drips of wetness were on it, making me believe she had shed a few tears. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," I whispered harshly, repeating myself. I didn't know exactly who I was calling stupid, me or Tori, but it hardly mattered. _You are a sucky heroine_. I sighed. I couldn't seem to be able to do anything on my own. I depended on everyone else so much. Tori was always right saying I never stood up for myself. I rolled my eyes at the irony. That's when something in me clicked into place. I got off her bed, more gracefully then I had getting off my own. I put the note down and began searching the room to see if Tori's stuff was anywhere. After two sweeps around the room, I gave up and slowly went to the bathroom. I was a little hesitant after the message. Opening the door, I gasped.

"No," I breathed out, eyes wide at the scene. The bathrooms usually peach (ish) walls were burnt black, but only in spots about two feet around, for they were odd circle looking shapes. Half the glass on the shower door was deformed from melting and the mirror was broken, cracks running through to each ends. After trying to turn it on, the light above flickered a few times before going out completely. The white (ish) fake tile floors seemed black, covered with ash, or something of the sort, and there was a large rift from the toilet to the door on the opposite wall. The toilet looked like crap, the top and the seat missing, no water at all. I swore before turning and rushing out of the room. It was time to do something. I wasn't going to be the dumb girl in the movie who couldn't do anything right. Those type always disgusted me. I gave Tori's bed one last glance._ Time to wake everyone up_. . .

* * *

_Chloe,_

_Don't think that we are friends just because I'm only writing to you. The logic behind this is because you are the only one, even after everything we've been through, who seems to trust me. I am leaving, so it's not like they'll have anything to worry about anymore. I'll keep this short and simple. Simon, and I guess Derek, are my brothers, well my half-brothers. Kit Bae is my father. I guess that damn bitch was hiding another trick up her sleeve even after she was dead. I can no longer stay. You wouldn't understand. I decided to leave while you all were asleep, because I knew you'd question my reasoning. The truth is, I don't really have any reasoning. I just can't stay here, with them, knowing what I know. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. I know nobody will mind. In fact, I wouldn't even be surprised if no one knew, not even Kit himself. If that's the case, I wouldn't bother telling him, it'd just be a waste of time. Don't worry about me, even though I know you will, I'll be fine. Bye._

_Tori_

_p.s. Sorry about the bathroom._

_

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Sorry if it sucked. I plan on making my next chapters longer. I swear in later chapters there will be action, but this was kind of a introduction. I know anyone reading this has read all the books (or at least I'd hope so), but I plan to recap anyways through the chapters. It won't be long, I swear, because I know how annoying that can be. Really, I do. A little boring, yes, but I plan for it to get a lot more interesting. . . Mwahahahahaha. Just kidding. I'll save the evil laugh for later. I want to thank _GuardianRoseHathaway_ for helping me. She is amazing. I'm proud to call her my sister. Ummm, not a lot of dialogue, mostly because she was alone in the middle of the night/morning, whatever. Like I said before this will get better. Anyways . . . Rate. Review. Comment. Criticize. Suggest.

-DRA


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two, people. Sorry it took so long, but I was kind of stuck on a certain part of the chapter. Anyways, here it is. I hope you like it. If you don't than either suck it up, or stop reading, though the latter in my opinion is quiet stupid. But my opinion isn't all the important. . . Who am I kidding? Of course it's important, so I advise listening to me, after all, I listen to me all the time. Sorry, I'm a little hyper. Ice pops are really good. Anyways, I thank my lovely sister, GuardianRoseHathaway, once again for her help. Much appreciated. I still do not own anything. Oh well. Rate. Review. Comment. Criticize. Suggest. Any will do. Thank you,

DeadlyRedAlice

* * *

_It was time to do something. I wasn't going to be the dumb girl in the movie who couldn't do anything right. Those type always disgusted me. I gave Tori's bed one last glance. _Time to wake everyone up. . .

* * *

"Chloe, take a deep breath and slow down. I can't understand what you're saying," Aunt Lauren said, rubbing her eyes. Simon yawned and nodded in agreement. I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"Tori. Is. Gone." I felt as if I was talking to three year olds. I mean, its not like I'm exactly the sharpest tool in the bunch, but I was speaking very bluntly, even if it was a little fast.

"What do you mean?" Kit asked, trying to stifle a yawn. They just weren't taking me seriously enough. That, or they were too exhausted to understand anything.

"Tori has run away. As in, she is not coming back," Nothing. "We have to find her! It's too dangerous for her to be out there on her own!" Derek grumbled something I couldn't quite catch but I'm pretty sure it wasn't very nice. I gave a shriek of frustration and began pacing. Was I the only one who cared? No, that couldn't be true. At least Kit must care. He is her_ father_. I ran my fingers through my stupid black hair that I had yet to fix. "Don't you guys hear me?" They grumbled something. Kit and Aunt Lauren were tired and not comprehending. That's what happens when you get older. Simon and Derek, though? They just didn't care. I felt like strangling them. Instead I stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me. I began walking down the hall. Obviously it was bare of anything with a soul. After all, it was close to midnight. I had only put a few rooms between me and the guys' room, when I heard Derek come out behind me.

"Chloe, calm down," he said, catching up to me easily. I took a deep breath but kept walking. "Will you at least look at me?" he asked, though it was more commanding then pleading. It took all my strength not to. He took my hand and forced me to stop and face him. He hadn't done it strongly because otherwise my arm probably wouldn't still be attached. I still found a way to look at everything but him. I wasn't quite sure how, especially considering there was only a foot between us, but I did. "Chloe?" he begged, pushing a strand of my dumb black hair behind my ear. He took a step towards me, filling in the space.

"You don't care," I said quietly, finally willing myself to look at him. His expression conveyed confusion. "About Tori. You don't care what happens to her," I said, a notch louder than before. He looked away. "And the sad thing is, you can't even deny it," He gave me a hurt look, making me want to apologize, but I didn't. What did I have to apologize for, anyways? All I did was point out the truth.

"Chloe, it's not that I don't care." He paused. "It's just that she made her choice. We should honor it," I wanted to laugh at that and yell, "Of course we should honor her choice. It's not like she ran away out of shock because she found out her dad was also the father of her ex-crush, or anything like that!" But I didn't. I bit my lip, focusing on the sound of the few cars passing the hotel outside. I decided to play along.

"Maybe, you're right," I lied, surprised that I didn't stutter. I almost always stuttered when I lied, even when my life was depending on it. I leaned into him, resting my forehead on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, and I sank into his embrace.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he said softly, stroking my hair. I nodded and looked up at him. He was staring down at me with those gorgeous green eyesof his. Pushing Tori out of my mind momentarily, I just let myself be there, with Derek.

"I know," I said just as quietly. He ran his thumb along my cheek bones. It felt so soothing. I closed my eyes and relaxed. Tori could most definitely wait. I got up on my tip-toes slowly while he bent down slightly. Our lips met and I felt all the sparks of the first kiss, even though it was plenty of kisses later. Too many to count, in fact. And yet, they never dulled. It was perfect and sweet and gentle, but with such passion it made me want to melt. I felt as if my legs would give out from under me. One of his hands was wrapped up in my hair and the other was holding the small of my back. I had my hands resting on his broad, sturdy shoulders. We separated and I couldn't even open my eyes, the feeling of his lips still on my own.

"Come on," he said taking my hand. "We should get some more sleep." I followed obediently, still dazed by our kiss. Our rooms were right across the hall from each other. He gave my forehead a quick kiss before he went into the room he shared with Simon, his "brother". I stood in the hall for a minute spacing out before slipping into my own room. I plopped down on my bed, just thinking. My eyelids began to slip down, though I struggled to keep them open.

"You're just going to sit there?" My eyes flew open. Liz sat on the floor in front of me. She was playing with her long, blonde hair, but her ocean blue eyes were locked on me. She seemed rather upset. Tori used to be her best friend. Yes, I said used to. Liz was a ghost. I was a necromancer, meaning I could see and talk with ghosts. The only thing was that I was a genetically messed up necromancer. I could raise the dead without even trying. Not something I really brag about. Derek, my boyfriend, was a genetically enhanced werewolf. His brother, Simon, was a sorcerer. His powers were relatively normal. The reason they are "brothers" is that Simon's father, Kit Bae, had adopted him, but they were closer than normal brothers ever are. Tori, my roommate, was the half sister of Simon and Derek, because Kit was her father, which is the precise reason she ran away. She was a witch, and guess what? She was a genetically enhanced witch. Shocker there.

"No," I whispered firmly, crossing my fingers Derek couldn't hear me. He had enhanced hearing. Basically everything is enhanced. Liz let out a visible sigh of relief.

"Good." She paused. "So, what now?" I thought about it. I could hear a scolding voice in my head saying for me not to do anything stupid. That voice sounded a lot like Derek's. I ignored it with some difficulty, but I did. I got up quietly and grabbed the black backpack that we had bought for me about a week ago. I placed it on my bed, unzipping it as silently as I could.

"I'm going after her." It was as simple as that. It might be stupid and brash. . . Actually it probably was, but I had Liz with me. Liz, when she had been living, was a Volo Half-demon. Now she was, well, a poltergeist, something that was very helpful to have.

"Derek and Simon are going with you, right?" Grrrrrrrr. Couldn't she have just agreed to come and left it at that? I shook my head, which caused a frown to appear on her soft, translucent face. She opened her mouth to say something but I cut her off, causing her to clamp it shut, before she convinced me to chicken out.

"Are you saying I can't do this alone?" She opened her mouth but I continued. "And, anyways, I got you." She sighed, surrendering.

"When do we leave?"

"As soon as we can."

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Chloe's stupidity always amazes me, even when I'm the one writing about it. Please review. Your opinions are almost as important as my own. Rate. Review. Comment. Criticize. Suggest.

-DRA


	3. Chapter 3

I know this is long overdue, but here it is: Chapter three! This is basically a filler chapter, which was why it was taking me so long to write. That and the fact that my dear sister hasn't looked over it even though I emailed it to her over a week ago to check. I want to thank everyone who reviewed. You know who you are. Anyways, I hope this was worth the wait. Rate. Review. Comment. Criticize. Suggest. Guess what? I do not own anything. Shocker, right? Lol. I'm eating pretzels. They are good. Sorry. Random. Got to stop doing that. Anyways. Thank you,

DeadlyRedAlice

p.s. _suzi1811_ I really like your ideas, and I'll probably use some of them, just not at this time. It's awesome to get feed back like that. :)

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_"I'm going after her." It was as simple as that. It might be stupid and brash. . . Actually it probably was, but I had Liz with me. Liz, when she had been living, was a Volo Half-demon. Now she was, well, a poltergeist, something that was very helpful to have._

_"Derek and Simon are going with you, right?" Grrrrrrrr. Couldn't she have just agreed to come and left it at that? I shook my head, which caused a frown to appear on her soft, translucent face. She opened her mouth to say something but I cut her off, causing her to clamp it shut, before she convinced me to chicken out._

_"Are you saying I can't do this alone?" She opened her mouth but I continued. "And, anyways, I got you." She sighed, surrendering._

_"When do we leave?"_

_"As soon as we can."_

* * *

"You know, when Derek finds you, he's going to kill you," Liz stated, a matter-of-fact tone to her lilting voice. I didn't respond, though I knew she was correct. I was surprised we even got out of the hotel. Then again, the guys haven't slept for practically a week, staying guard at our little "stops" (yes, all three decided to be macho men together), while Tori, Aunt Lauren and I slept. They all have an excuse of not waking up except for Aunt Lauren, but I wasn't too worried about her. We walked along the side of the road, my backpack slung over my shoulder. It was actually a very stupid choice, in case anyone saw us, well me, but at the moment, when it was three something in the morning, I just didn't care enough to go stumbling through the woods that just happened to surround us, because that's exactly what I'd be doing: Stumbling. I know from experience, me plus dark woods equals lots of tripping. "I mean, sure, he'll feel guilty about it later, but not until he's completely torn you into shreds," Liz continued, oblivious to my annoyance on the subject. "He'll be -"

"I get it Liz!" I yelled finally cracking.

"Well, sorry for telling the truth," she muttered. I sighed. I was so screwed it wasn't even funny. Sure, I had Liz but there was only so much she could do. "How long do you think it will be before they realize we're gone?" she asked, as if I hadn't just screamed at her.

"I don't know," I answered tired. Just talking to her was wearing me down. There was no way I'd be able to do this. "Do you think I'm being dumb?" I asked. When Liz didn't respond I looked over at her. She was biting her lip, twirling a strand of her blonde hair around her finger. She was looking up at the sky, avoiding meeting my eyes. "Liz!" She jumped a little and hesitantly glanced over at me.

"It's not that your being dumb," She paused, searching for words. "Well, no, you are being dumb, but it's not your fault. No, wait-" she tried, realizing her mistake, but I was already yelling.

"You tell me now that I'm being dumb? Now that we are already away from hotel?" I was half-yelling, half-whispering. I don't know how but I was. Liz looked away embarrassed. I sighed frustrated. Now that we were finally on our way, I was going crazy with nervousness. Could I have been any stupider? Liz continued on once again as if I hadn't just scolded her.

"Tori will probably yell at you too, if we," Liz paused, biting her lip again. "When we find her." I just nodded, remembering what the note had said. She had specifically told me not to come looking for her. And what was I doing? Looking for her. Great another person who'll kill me once they find me. The list goes on and on. "We can always turn back," Liz offered half-heartedly. I truly did contemplate going back, but Tori needed me. She might not know it, but she did. And Liz wouldn't be really happy until Tori was safe. I could, however, go back and try to get them to actually be concerned and help . . . But, no, they didn't care. At least not at this hour of the day. And if we waited any longer, who knows what could happen to her. Every second we all were in danger, but at least when we were together, we had each other to depend on and watch our backs. Tori, on her own, didn't have much of a chance. So, for her sake, I had to keep going.

"No, we can't," I said firmly, continuing down the vacant road. Liz followed dutifully. Wind rustled fallen leaves, making the now silent walk eerie. I was almost tempted to ask Liz to keep talking, but decided against it and kept my mouth shut, in fear of her convincing me that I was even more of an idiot then I believed.

"I hope Tori is okay," Liz murmured. I turned and looked at her. She was staring at her purple and orange socks, her hands hanging worthlessly at her sides.

"I'm sure she's fine. She is really strong, she can take care of herself," I said, not sure who I was trying to convince. _That's why you're out here looking for her_. Oh, shut up you! I held back a groan for Liz's sake.

"Can we stop at the next hotel?" she asked, staring intently at me. I gave her a weird look.

"Why would you want to stop at a hotel?" I asked stupidly. It wasn't like she slept or anything. Not to be mean, but she was sort of dead. Well, not sort of. She was dead.

"Because you look tired," she noted. I smiled at her kindness and nodded.

"Yes, we can most definitely stop, because I don't just _look_ tired. I _am_ tired," I granted, now struggling to hold back a yawn. I hadn't noticed how tired I truly was until Liz mentioned it. Suddenly it was like a wave of exhaustion hit me. I pinched myself stupidly, trying to make me more alert. Unless my ulterior motive was to hurt myself, it didn't work. I was about to ask Liz to scout ahead and see if she could find a hotel, or even a building anywhere near here, when I heard rustling in the forest off to my right. _Crap . . ._

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Hope you enjoyed. Again I am so sorry it has been so long. Blame _GuardianRoseHathaway_. If she had looked over this chapter sooner, or at all, I probably would have posted it sooner. Rate. Review. Comment. Criticize. Suggest.

-DRA


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